When Genes Can’t Keep Up With Environment

Gargantuan. 

That's the word I would use to describe the amount of time it takes for our genes to change. 

In contrast, think about how long it takes for our environment to change. 

Miniscule. 

And this, my friends, is at the heart of the dilemma when it comes to our health.

Our environment has changed dramatically over the course of the last two centuries. This shift has affected us in almost every imaginable way ... from our food supply and eating habits to our activity and how we behave socially.

Meanwhile, we have ancient genes that have not adapted to, what I would call, a toxic environment. 

This applies to how we chronically eat, our movement patterns (or lack thereof), our sleeping patterns (or lack thereof), and our emotional and social health (social media). 

Our lives have been encapsulated by convenience. And much of this convenience has made our lives better (i.e. refrigerated food, cars, electricity, technology, etc.). 

But, it has also allowed our health to deteriorate. 

In my opinion, the path to better health is to devise strategies that defy our new environment. 

This starts with individual evaluation, focused on the four main pillars of:

1) nutrition. 

2) exercise.

3) sleep.

4) emotional health.

Regarding nutrition, what behaviors are preventing you from improving your health? Do you rely on fast food for many of your meals? Or, is the problem portion control because there's simply too much food that's proximal? In other words, is food too easy to obtain? 

Maybe exercise is the limiting factor. Are you sitting on your butt all day at a desk job, and then too tired to add any type of activity at any other time of day?

Maybe it's sleep. You know you should get to bed earlier but after a long day you just need to unwind. You get caught up in a Netflix series and before you know it, midnight has rolled around.

Or maybe it's emotional health. People need people. And not in the form of social media. This is a component of health that is sometimes (if not many times) overlooked or neglected. Choose real people over "fake" people. Please don't underestimate how time consuming and toxic this aspect can be. 

In your health journey, I highly recommend taking a long look at each of these aspects and honestly evaluate which areas can be improved. 

But don't overwhelm yourself. 

First, find the main rock, or lowest hanging fruit, you can address to move the needle. For example, put a limit on how much time you can spend on social media (you can set this up on your phone, so no excuses; and I'm sure your sleep will improve as well).

Don't let perfection get in the way of progress.

As always ...

GIVE YOUR BODY WHAT IT NEEDS, WHEN IT NEEDS IT. 

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC*KB, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition
#TrainForLiFE

Stop Putting Weight Loss On A Pedestal

This is a topic that I’ve recently spoken to clients about.

The mental side of weight loss can be stressful. Especially if trying to lose weight has been a struggle year in and year out.

3 years? 5 years? 10 years? Lifelong?

The longer the struggle, the more the focus becomes weight loss. In other words, the more this weight loss DOESN'T happen, the larger it becomes. We dwell on it. Dream about it. And even let it consume our daily lives. The strive for weight loss grows into something that is all encompassing.

In all my years as a dietitian, I've witnessed it firsthand - and understand the fight that happens within.

But I also understand that this is no way to live.

Easier said than done, I know, but often for success to finally set in, there needs to be a shift in perspective and mindset.

First, take the goal of weight loss off of the pedestal you've built for it. Instead, return to basics.

"But, shouldn't I do something extreme to help me jump start this?"

NO! (hard stop)

When we go all in or extreme, we often get too focused on the minutia and not the big rocks we can move to foster the weight loss journey. What do I mean about the minutia? Eating a banana versus blueberries. Worrying about one yogurt having 90 calories versus another that has 150. Or, thinking that a specific diet or cleanse is the answer ... keto, vegetarian, 5 day juice cleanse.

(By the way, I believe most, if not all, juice cleanses to be total BS … which will be a topic for a different day.)

Now, here are some big rocks:

1. Establish a process, beginning with the goal of eating healthy instead of ALWAYS trying to lose weight. This small step can take the undue mental pressure off of losing weight. Your mental framework is honed in on the choices that help you feel better. And, in turn, the by-product of becoming healthier can be weight loss.

2. No matter what you're trying to lose, be it body fat or overall body weight, we want to minimize muscle loss. So, get your protein intake up to offset #3. Ideally, base this number on your lean body mass. At minimum, just be consistent with a good protein source every meal.

3. Reach a caloric deficit. This can be through a combination of reducing overall energy intake (eating less) and exercising. But, the bottom line is weight loss requires an energy deficit for the body to pull stored energy (body fat) into circulation to be used.

4. Eat fruit and vegetables daily. Besides all the vitamins and minerals, you'll find a good source of fiber that will lead to greater satiety.

5. Exercise consistently. Including 2-3 days per week strength training. Muscle is our greatest fat burning machinery. Why not give it the opportunity to use more of what you want to get rid of body fat?

Get away from the hyper-focused state of achieving weight loss and focus on the process of getting there.

Take it down off that pedestal and hoist up simply taking care of yourself better. You'll be surprised at how your body can change (without the dread of trying to force it to change).

And, as always …

GIVE YOUR BODY WHAT IT NEEDS, WHEN IT NEEDS IT!

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC*KB, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition
#TrainForLiFE

Jaime, RD’s Top 5 Protein Sources

"So Jaime, what do you eat?"

Ha, as a dietitian I'm asked that ALL the time.

I get it, it comes with the territory and I'm happy to oblige.

Most recently, I had a client ask me about protein ...

"Jaime, what are the top protein sources you use in a given week?"

I LOVE this question, mainly because I LOVE talking about protein and how getting an adequate daily amount of it is critical to help maintain/increase one's skeletal muscle mass.

Anything I can do to spread the good word of protein, I'm in.

So, here we go ... here are my personal top 5 protein sources PLUS a little tip at the end that I use to help make sure I get my protein in each and every day throughout the week.

#1 GROUND BEEF OR BISON

Yes, I am a dietitian and I eat red meat! I don't overdo it, but I like it and I use quality red meat regularly. Not only is the protein content high, but the mineral content as well.

2. EGGS

No surprise here, eggs are simple and a high-quality protein source. Whenever possible, I personally go with organic, pasture-raised, and I use eggs in multiple ways, multiple times throughout my typical week. (And yes, I like the yolks too, not just the whites!)

3. WHEY

Sometimes whey is frowned upon for being a "lesser" protein source. In essence though, it is one of the most bioavailable protein sources we can consume. I try to focus on real food options for my daily protein, but I will use whey whenever needed to supplement my protein content when I may be a little low for the day.

4.YOGURT

Wow, talk about options. Head to a grocery store and look at the yogurt section. Overwhelming. My focus with yogurt are the high-quality brands that offer me high protein counts. A couple of examples include Siggi's and Icelandic Provisions.

5. SALMON

Love it. So tasty. High protein content but also an added bonus of Omega-3 fatty acids. Mercury content is always a concern with fish, but salmon is generally one of the types with lower levels.

Honorable Mentions: TOFU

Plant-based option that I like because it is easy to throw on a quick salad or stir fry as needed. As you can see from my preferred list above though, I am not a vegetarian or vegan (even though for some reason many people think I am, just because I am a dietitian) and prefer animal proteins.

Now, as promised, a final tip that I personally use consistently week to week ...

While some like to MEAL prep on Sundays, I focus on PROTEIN prep.

Yep, I'll prep my salmon, beef, bison or whatever protein I'm feeling for that week, at least for my lunches and sometimes my dinners too if I know ahead of time that I'm going to be on the go a lot during the week.

Why don't I waste much time prepping full meals?

Because when it comes to veggies, fats, fruits, carbs, I feel there are a lot of quick and easy options I can grab on the go.

Quick protein sources can be much more of a challenge though. As long as I have it prepped and ready to go for the week, everything else can be filled in rather quickly and easily.

I can't tell you how much time having my protein prepped saves me in a given week, while ensuring that I am hitting adequate protein levels to support my skeletal muscle mass goal and overall health.

Hope this bit of PROTEIN advice helps get or keep you on track for YOUR own skeletal muscle mass needs.

As always,

GIVE YOUR BODY WHAT IT NEEDS, WHEN IT NEEDS IT.

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC*KB, CSCS
Functional Elements

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To contact Jaime, RD for help with nutrition or a fully customized plan, contact us.

Tweak Your Environment For Real Results

I'm a big believer in building a process, or practice, of nutrition. 

And an important part to building a successful nutrition process is based upon building new habits. 

One way to create new habits and move away from our default settings (which are always worse), is to evaluate your environment, then make changes to this environment that foster positive actions. 

ENVIRONMENT DRIVES BEHAVIOR! 

Actions need to align with goals, and our environment plays a major role in our ability to carry out these actions.

So what do I mean by environment? 

Environment can be as simple as having easily accessible Girl Scout cookies (Samoas, of course) in the cabinet, a few feet away from you, calling your name minute by minute. 

It could be the habit of "needing" a glass of wine or a dessert after dinner every night. 

Or, maybe it's a more complicated issue such as an unsupportive spouse. Maybe this isn't intentional, but is indirectly sabotaging the actions that should be aligning with your goals.

Here's a simple example of an environmental "hazard". 

If I get home from a stressful and tiring day and there are peanut M&Ms on the table and frozen chicken buried deep in the freezer, which do you think I'm heading toward? 

The obvious answer is the bowl of M&Ms, for two reasons. One, it takes less energy to consume the candy. (Don't kid yourself, we have an innate ability to choose the easiest route.). And two, and somewhat associated with #1, proximity to food is a major driver of our food choices. The closer a food is to us the greater the chance we will eat it. 

If I reverse these foods and the chicken is in the fridge, prepped and ready to go, whereas the M&Ms are in a different room (or better yet, at the gas station down the street), I'm more likely to go with the food that's easily accessible and closer to me. Even if I really don't feel like having chicken, It's how we're wired! I've just improved my odds of making a choice that aligns with my goals because my environment has changed.

I understand the example I gave has a fairly simple fix. 

There are more difficult situations, like the unsupportive spouse, that may take a difficult conversation to change your environment. 

Nonetheless, the first step of changing your environment to better suit your needs is to evaluate and be aware of the things around you that are barriers to success. 

Reduce or eliminate these barriers...increase your chances of success!

EAT WITH A PURPOSE … BE WELL!

Jaime Rothermich RD, CSSD, LD, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition
functionalelements.net

The Glorious Glutes … Don’t Neglect ‘Em!

The glute is the most powerful muscle in the body. Ya, no lie!

We may not think of it in that light, because it's just kinda there behind us, under the radar.

Trust me though, the glute (or the butt as I like to call it) is doing work. It acts as a support system for the entire body and plays a major role in all power and explosive movements.

It's also known as the 'sleeping giant' because it is severely under activated in most of our everyday lives - especially those of us who work long hours at a computer or desk.

There are three muscles that make up the gluteal muscle:

1) Gluteus Maximus

• Primer for hip extension

• Strong external hip rotator

• Stabilizes hip, knee, SI Joint & Lumber Spine

2) Gluteus Medius

• Primary for hip abductor

• Stabilizes hip, femur, pelvis

• Crucial for runners; prevents knee from caving in

3) Gluteus Minimus

• Helps with stabilization

BEWARE OF GLUTEAL AMNESIA

Gluteal amnesia happens when your butt forgets how to activate properly, typically from underuse (i.e. sitting all day). It often won't cause you pain itself, necessarily, but over time if left untreated it could contribute to other pains and strains.

HOW DO YOU KNOW? A FEW KEY INDICATORS:

1. It's difficult to feel or activate your glutes during lower body movements.

2. You have anterior pelvic tilt (the glutes are not pulling your pelvis into neutral position.

3. Flat butt syndrome (from sitting too much)

Gluteal amnesia is reversible. Basically, it's all about working your butt off. And our 14-day 360° program is the perfect way for new clients to get started!

#TrainForLiFE

Patrick McDermott
PPSC*KB, PPSC*Programming, PPSC*Mobility
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition

Sometimes the Easiest Starting Point is …

When I was in my early years of working with clients, I used to immediately attempt to focus their attention on building a foundation of nutrition.

I wasn't wrong. In a perfect world, that's where I would always start.

But over the years I learned that in many cases, the easier route can be exercise.

Why?

Because exercise typically doesn't come with the emotional and social baggage that food often does. Not to mention the feeling that may overwhelm us when thinking about nutritional change (the all-or-nothing mentality).

Plus, something like a 15-30 minute walk a couple of days per week can be a very simple starting point that can evolve into more rigorous cardio and strength training.

Eventually, we feel confident to layer in good nutrition knowledge and habits once momentum begins to build.

We often simply need to take the easiest first step in order to get started.

And if you are ready for the jump, well, it's never been easier than our 14-day 360° new client program.

It's 14 days of experiencing & evaluating the very best Functional Elements has to offer, at an incredibly low rate.

Until next time ...

TRAIN WITH A PURPOSE.
EAT WITH A PURPOSE.
AND GIVE YOUR BODY WHAT IT NEEDS, WHEN IT NEEDS IT.

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC*KB, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition

Is Alkaline Water Legit? #AskJaime

I drink a lot of water, each and every day. But do I personally go the extra mile to make sure alkaline water is a priority? In this video, I give my thoughts.

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC*KB, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition

Why Don’t We ‘Practice’ Nutrition?

We practice meditation. We practice yoga. We practice pilates. 

So, why not nutrition?

Amongst many areas of health, one's nutrition takes years upon years to develop and progress.

When we are new to the nutrition realm and want to implement a game plan to lose weight, gain muscle, reduce risk of disease, or just have an overall health improvement, we have what I call "shit nutrition".

This doesn't mean it isn't an improvement from our previous nutrition practices and it's wrong. It simply means this is the rough draft. The first go at it. 

Think back to anything you wanted to get better at, or tried for the first time. You probably weren't very good, and you needed to work to improve. 

This same concept can be applied to nutrition. 

You begin with a few changes, whether they are right or wrong, but you make the decision to try. 

Every day that you implement your game plan you learn about what your body needs. You learn from other people/coaches, books, podcasts about new strategies and this feeds into your growing knowledge base. You try certain things and some work and then some don't. Those things that work remain, the failed attempts are left behind. Your body and season of life changes, and this also factors into the practice of nutrition.

The practice of nutrition is a lifelong journey that, yes, we can improve, and progress, and make ourselves healthier. However, it is a practice that we will never perfect.

Practice hard. Learn all you can about yourself and the area of nutrition. Apply what you've learned and the strategies that enhance you. But be patient and keep progressing. I guarantee this practice will pay off.

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC*KB, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition

My Canned Fish Favs #WhatsJaimeEatin

Is canned fish something I eat? If so, what type of canned fish is what I look for? In this video, I give my thoughts.

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, PPSC*

Fish & Mercury #AskJaime

It seems like it's a fine line these days between choosing fish as a healthy alternative but, at the same time, avoiding too much mercury.

In this video I give my thoughts on which fish seem to carry, in general, the least amounts of mercury, as well as those that carry the most. #JaimeRD #Dietitian

(Run Time 1:57)

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC*KB, CSCS
Functional Elements, Inc.
www.functionalelements.net

#WhatsJaimeEatin: C4 Smart Energy

C4 Smart Energy isn’t necessarily a beverage you would expect to be on my personal drink menu. In this video I tell you why I may drink it occasionally … and give my opinion on some of the reviews on the front of the can.

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition

3 Modifiable Factors to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease

What are 3 modifiable factors to help reduce the risk of the #1 killer of both men and women?

In this video, I give my thoughts.

#JaimeRD #ASCVD

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition

A New Clean Protein … And I Like It! #WhatsJaimeEatin’

I’m always on the lookout for a good protein on the cleaner side of the scale. Why? Because adequate protein is such a key to each and every day … and the cleaner the better. In this video find out why I like Ascent, and how I use it.

How Do I Lose Weight? Here Are 3 Paths. #AskJaime

Starting a weight loss journey begins with first choosing a path.
What are those potential paths?
In this video, I lay out 3 which can be used individually, but also in tandem.

(Run Time 1:47)

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition

How a Dietitian Handles the Holidays #AskJaime

I'm about enjoying the holidays as much as anyone else.

But I do still have goals.

And because of this I take a few strategic steps heading into the big holiday meal, party, etc.

In this video, I tell you about them.

(Run Time 4:01)

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition

At What Age Do We Begin to Lose Skeletal Muscle Mass? #AskJaime

At what age does skeletal muscle mass begin to decline? It’s a question EVERYONE should be aware of and, in preparation for. In this video, I give my thoughts.

How Much Protein Do I Need If I’m Trying to Lose Weight?

So, you're in weight loss mode. How important is protein?

And how much of it do I need per day to maintain skeletal muscle mass?

In this video, I give my thoughts. #JaimeRD #Protein

(Run Time 3:13)

As We Age, What Should Our Priority Be? #AskJaime

Great question, and one I have a firsthand perspective of as my goals have definitely evolved in the last few years. In this video, I give my thoughts.

Watch video here.

#JaimeRD #Aging

How Do I Choose a Whey Protein? #AskJaime

There's a LOT of whey protein options out there.

So, how do you choose?

What are the biggest factors to be aware of and look for?

In this video, I give my thoughts.

#JaimeRD #WheyProtein

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition

How Many Times Per Week Do I Consume Red Meat? #AskJaime

It may surprise you to know my personal feelings toward red meat, and how many times per week I consume it.

Or, maybe not.

Bottom line is I like red meat, but I also consume it for a purpose.

In this video, find out why.

(Run Time 1:44)

Jaime Rothermich
RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC, CSCS
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition